The clash between night and day will find its battleground at NIU this weekend.

The NIU Opera Workshop, which is the NIU opera ensemble, will perform Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” at 8 p.m. Friday at the Music Building’s Boutell Memorial Concert Hall.

-Peter Lipari, Opera Workshop’s music director, notes the performance is particularly special.

“We do one major opera per year. This is our big spring show,” Lipari said.

“The Magic Flute” is a well-known 1791 opera Mozart wrote just before he died. Audience members will recognize many of the songs, Lipari said.

“If anybody has seen ‘Amadeus,’ they will know the music here,” Lipari said.

The opera tells the story of a a young prince, Tamino, and his battle between dark and light forces. The dark forces are represented by one of opera’s most memorable villains — the Queen of the Night. Tamino must conquer the dark forces and join the temple of the sun, led by the high priest, Sarastro.

“The Queen of the Night is a famous role. She has two arias that are difficult and extremely showy,” said Jim Tucker, the ensemble’s stage director,

To cast the parts of the Queen of the Night and Sarastro, Lipari and Tucker looked outside NIU. Sarah Gartshore, a 2002 Roosevelt University graduate, was cast as the Queen of the Night, and NIU alumnus David Govertsen was cast as Sarastro, the leader of the light forces.

“They are both dramatically important and difficult roles. You need a high soprano and low bass for these parts. We thought it was best to cast more experienced singers,” Tucker said.

Symbolism is essential to the play, especially its relevance to the Enlightenment, which took place during the 17th century.

“I like how based in fantasy it is,” Garstshore said. “How it’s based in that secret society is fascinating.”

The NIU Opera Workshop will perform “The Magic Flute” again at 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets can be purchased at the door and are free for NIU students, $7 for general admission and $5 for other students.